Some trivia about the Alice ride. Walt Disney had actually visited Blackpool while touring European parks to plan Disneyland. Years later when Disneyland was a hit he told blackpool they could copy any Disney ride they wanted as a thank you. They picked Alice.
Yep its the only ride outside of America that has permision to use Alice in wonderland and the characters that look the same as the disney version (or Blackpool pleasure beachs attempt at the film charaters)...OBV there are other cheap knock offs around the world of disney rides like the Haunted mansion ect BUT they are done JUST on the fring so as NOT to get a copyright off of Disney!
Not to be that guy but ... do you have a source on this? I hear it spread around a lot but it doesn't make sense to me. it's true that Blackpool's Alice opened a few years after Disney's, so the idea that the concept was inspired by what was a very popular ride makes sense, but I don't see why they'd need Walt's permission. The story is in the public domain. The designs are very clearly taken from the book illustrations and not the Disney film. The ride literally plays music from the 1971 Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and has been for decades at this point, presumably without permission. They wouldn't need a blessing from anyone to do this. I don't know if you've been to Blackpool, but it's rooted in old funfairs and things like funhouses, big spectacles, that fundamentally are built on stealing or barely scraping by other attractions or characters, which was especially true when Alice opened.
I always laugh at the fact Alice has "I've got a golden ticket" playing as music, and has done as long as I can remember having visited all my life! I've lived here now for 10 years and recently went again, smells exactly the same haha
I do think a lot of simpler rides end up leaving a bigger impact. Too many newer Disney and Universal rides feel a little too polished and end up losing any character they may have had conceptually.
As an American, I really appreciate you making videos highlighting parks outside of the typical U.S. ones. While I of course love the Disney and Universal videos, your analysis of parks like this one are what sets your channel apart.
@@PoseidonEntertainment As i said before. You indeed do need to work a bit harder just to shaking of your stereotype. But as you can see, looks like it going to the right direction. And i'm glad too
UK based park goer here, glad to finally see you give some attention to Blackpool pleasure beach. Im an hours drive from the park and went alot as a child so i may be biased, but its my favorite park in the UK. Even though the park has had several reinvention, and visually is different from the park I visited in the 90s, theres still plenty of classic rides, making the nostalgia levels of the park incredible
I understand why it has to change often, but I'm also fascinated by how much it manages to pack into such a small space. I didn't realize how historically significant so many of the rides were until writing this script though.
The River Caves ride used to have a section (now illuminated purple with the starry ceiling) where it was overlooked by a cafe/bar and also the Gold Mine ride (now Wallace and Gromit) passed overhead on a bridge type section of track. Was a very interesting feature indeed, quite relaxing too as you sat with a drink watching the passengers of both rides pass by. The park, in my opinion has a unique and atmospheric feel during a visit in the Autumn months during the annual 'Blackpool Illuminations'.
This is so crazy - I'm from Blackpool ( I grew up 20 mins from this park ! ) and lived there for almost 20 years ! The Pleasure Beach and the town as a whole has a really interesting history. All the footage made me feel back home. Loved the video !
@@PoseidonEntertainment Oh you should! There's a bunch of stuff with a long history - In my opinion the most interesting is Blackpool tower - a replica Eiffel Tower with a circus inside with a ring that fills with water and used to have seel shows. If you'd ever like some recommendations for a local please reach out !
@@PoseidonEntertainmentthere is , such as the tower which houses multiple attractions including the world famous Ballroom with sprung floor and the circus. Then there is sea life and Madame Tussauds, 3 piers , winter gardens , The Grand Theatre, Zoo , miniature village ( the latter two being further into Blackpool. Plus many other side attractions and stalls arcades , the Comedy Carpet is worth a look , The Heritage Trams , and more .
I might be biased because its my home park and my friend literally works there but we are honestly a one of a kind park. It's like no other place ive visited with such a rich history. Thank you so much for bringing more attention to our struggling towns amusement park!! I'd also like to note, most rides run well and often. but sometimes not. everything is expensive and the coasters hurt but theyre so rich in history its almost forgiveable. and Icon is a very good thrill ride. impressive for what we are. I hope you visit soon and enjoy it!!
Get ready for the infamous Grand National (1935). Its so rough that it recently broke someone's neck (admittedly he did have undiagnosed medical history)@@PoseidonEntertainment
Man, I'd be truly thrilled if you started covering old dark rides at various parks more often. There is just such a special vibe to those old rides, no matter how run-down or cheesy they can be. Much like you, I find them really fascinating and am enamored by the charm of those rides, and I'd love to see more of them documented like you have done here. I mean, there are only a handful of original Pretzel dark rides that are still operating (if I'm remembering correctly), so making a series focused on documenting those rides, along with other rides from by-gone eras like that, would be super helpful in preserving them in a sort of time capsule for generations after we (and the rides) are long gone. You're doing a great act of service by preserving the history and documenting those rides at amusement parks all over the world. As I see it, a lot of those old rides are actually historically significant places and should be recognized as such, and maybe at some point they _will_ be recognized. Either way, I feel their history is culturally significant to this whole country (and even for a lot of the world) and deserves to be documented and preserved. I feel like you are one of the very best CZcamsrs when it comes to getting into the nitty gritty of stuff like this, so seeing you help document more of those rides would be awesome. You would leave no stone unturned, and if I were to trust anyone to give an in-depth and accurate historical account of these rides, it'd be you. Really loved this video!
I know there's a ton of rides like these still around in the U.S., but I want to invest in a low-light camera before I think about doing videos and trips for them.
@@PoseidonEntertainment I hear ya, brother. Considering how thorough you are, it definitely makes sense that you’d like a gear upgrade before fully diving in and giving them the Proper Poseidon Preservation Protocol (you have my permission to use that one if you’d like lol). Just know you would have a ton of support if you ever do decide to cover more old dark rides. It’d be a shame to see some of them whither away and be lost to history.
The UK has actually had some pretty good dark rides in the past, such as Terror Tomb, Bubbleworks, Fifth Dimension and Haunted House. Unfortunately, you'd never get large scale dark rides like them in UK parks today, which is sad. Immersive dark rides are really what 'theme' parks are supposed to be about in my opinion.
I'm 59 years of age and 53 years ago when I was 6, my Auntie (bless her soul) took me on 'Alice in Wonderland' it was my first ever ride and I loved it and always ride it whenever I go back up North to Blackpool....Such a happy memory, thank you for this video!
Another wonderful video. Valhalla is one of the those white whale rides that I've always heard about that just know I'll probably never see. It's always cool to hear people talk about it and what is has lost since its opening. I remember when it was opening it was marketed as the ride that couldn't be built in disney or something similar. Obviously it was to catch eyes because it's such an unique dark ride, that looks like you get soaked on. Keep up the great work and good luck out there!
It's a cool ride for sure. Theming wise, I don't think it can touch Disney or even something like Knott's Timber Mountain Log Ride, but it still looks really cool.
All of these are iconic. I really love the mysterious atmosphere they all have, especially Alice, ghost train and river caves. River Caves especially is very nostalgic for me. Also the park has 4 woodies, not 3. They’ve got a blue junior woodie called ‘blue flyer’
It's always amazing at just literal some parks take the concept of the 'dark' ride. While we here in the states today equate dark rides with silly songs and comedy bits, others really do seem to want to get as many scares out of you as possible. Another great topic you explored.
I've seen someone say that European parks tend to have horror-themed rides in the same way that American parks have superhero-themed ones, and I see their point.
I'm not sure if I see it the same way. When I think of dark rides, the first thing that comes to mind is either Disneyland Fantasyland rides or east coast boardwalk and traveling fair ghost trains.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Granted, but even Disney has always had to balance a fine point between what is 'too' light and what is 'too' dark when it comes to its signature attractions, ie PotC and HM.
As always a great, well researched and entertaining video. 👍🏻 Your extreme high production standard throughout your videos ist also very noticeable. Really appreciate the amount of work you invest. 😉
Yessss, love that you’re covering a local park. I’ve been going to Pleasure Beach for years, and have only recently been on a lot of these older rides, and they’re certainly unique experiences. Great video topic, though I may be a bit biased (Talk about Alton Towers next, this is a threat /j)
I would love an Alton to Towers video from you when you get the chance! I find it interesting how Americans view our theme parks, seeing as you have so many huge, intense coasters.
BPB is my favourite park here in the UK, while not the most technologically advanced or new it has a certain charm to it that really give it a great atmosphere, the historical significance of the park is super important and something that the locals find a lot of nostalgia in. Nice to see people outside the UK recognising this park!
Been a fan of your channel for a while now, didn't expect to see Pleasure Beach appear! Growing up, I used to visit Blackpool annually with family. It's incredibly tacky but I love the place! Thanks for covering this! Some of the figures towards the end of the Ghost Train were relocated from Pleasure Beach's walkthrough horror attraction 'Trauma Towers' when it closed a while ago. If you're interested, it's worth watching a walkthrough.
I do appreciate the "tackiness" of a place like this. I think it's easy to dismiss, but it has a very specific type of atmosphere that I think is worth experiencing.
Wtf, I stumbled upon your channel a few months ago and have been binging your content. I visited Pleasure Beach 4 days ago and finally got the chance to ride Valhalla (been 3 times in the past but it's always been shut) and thought "I wonder what Poseidon Entertainment thinks about this and other dark rides here" never expected you to actually make a video on it given that it's a fairly small park compared to giants like Disney World and Universal. Great content like always man!
I love the smaller stuff, I think I should cover them more often. Admittedly, Blackpool was partially on my radar because I played so much Rollercoaster Tycoon when I was a kid.
So there used to be an amazing, very unique dark ride called "Trauma Towers" which was a walk through experience, through a haunted hotel (from what I remember as a kid, it was pretty scary! With lots of interactive elements) and at the very end, you went into the "dining room" which was a really great themed Tagada ride, which was in the dark and had music/sound effects... and Gargoyles would spit water at you. The walk through portion of the ride definitely was inspired by The Haunted Mansion, and I do believe when the ride closed a few of the props and figures ended up in the ghost train, and I'm pretty sure one of those things was the man playing the church organ (so I don't think he's The Phantom Of The Opera!) he used to be playing the organ in the Ballroom in the hotel, just before you loaded on to the Tagada ride at the end. It was such a unique, and long attraction... I absolutely loved it, and was gutted when it closed (a bit like the Noah's Ark ride!) I have no idea why they did. The building stood there for years as well. I remember as a kid I used to ask staff why it was closed, and if it was coming back and I used to get "fob off" answers such as "we had to close it because water from the fountain shows outside was getting on the floor of the queue and making it slippy" 😑 To that, I said then get rid of the fountains!! Who chooses a fountain display over such a unique one of a kind dark ride. Crazy! I'd love to know what really happened.
It sounds interesting for sure. I'll have to look into the former dark rides of the park because they seem interesting, plus everyone keeps mentioning how much they miss them lol.
Please do a deepdive into the oldies! They were my childhood! Just the mention of Noah's Ark and Trauma Towers brings the nostalgia on hard! And there was also The Greatest Show on Earth ride, Gold Mine, Space Invaders, Magic Mountain.....
It's wicked to see you talk about UK parks. Blackpool has always been too far away for me to get to easily. My local park growing up was Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea. Beezle Bob's and The Crooked House are honourable mentions
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is a one of the best classic amusement parks in the world. It’s collection of classic dark rides can hardly be matched. Combine that with it’s coasters, and it’s real Steeplechase ride, you have an all around winner!
Yeah, in retrospect I should have given it a mention, but Steeplechase rides fascinate me. I remember them from Rollercoaster Tycoon and I wish I could go back in time and experience the parks on Coney Island.
Atleast the new version of Valhalla effects works. Nice to see the ring of fire on the final drop properly work with the fire in the water. Great video.
Although it is clear even from a quick popularity sort on your upload page that Disney and Universal videos perform much better, I strongly encourage you to keep making videos on these smaller parks and lesser-known rides. Like it or not, many viewers see your channel as the guy with "cynical Disney video essays", however, it's not too late to diversify your content to continue to expand your audience. These awesome overview videos of some classic dark rides from across the world do just the trick and I'm sure your true core audience will appreciate any video that you release.
I plan to continue doing videos like these because I think that variety is really important and honestly, I'm really tired of speaking about Disney in a negative way. I'll make those videos when I'm interested in them or when I think they're important, but it's stuff like this that often interests me more.
Blackpool pleasure beach is part of my treasured childhood memories. I still remember the first time I was allowed to ride Alice unaccompanied by my mother who waved to me as I rode up the hill in my Cheshire Cat. On a revisit years later, a ride operator told me he has so many adults riding this today as trip down memory lane. The ghost train riding with my grandparents, happy days😊
ayyyy, blackpool! (the amount of childhood memories I have at Pleasure beach, no matter how bad the park gets, you'll never find me hating on it) would love to see another blackpool video someday, there's so much chaos to unpack
Incredible video Blackpool Pleasure Beach looks fun and reminds me of a classic seaside amusement park and those dark rides look actually pretty good. For me dark rides are my favourite element of any theme parks.
On the subject of Valhalla, if you want to get the majority of the effects working, or even have a chance of the majority of the vets working, do it as close to opening on the day as possible, as that will give you a much better chance we’re special effects working🙂 It certainly seemed to work for me when I was there a month ago, I actually think there are some changes in the reimagined version actually better than what came before, but I don’t want to spoil anything for you.
Out of curiosity what changes do you like? I personally like the narration and the skulls on the first lift hill even though you can hardly hear the audio. And the music is pretty good too. People complained that it sounded too Hot Ice-y and yeah some parts do sound quite a bit like Hot Ice not gonna lie. But seeing how the original theme music was composed for Hot Ice and not specifically for the ride it's less of a con and more of just a matter of opinion. I think both bits of music are great at the end of the day
@@masterknife8423 well for instance, the flying skeleton ghosts are a huge improvement on what was in that room before the refurbishment, before that refurbishment that room was crap in my opinion, a bunch of static skeletons with little strobe lights on them and wind blowing on them and mist. Relocated animatronic crows and the laser, Whoopie🤷♂️😐 For the first time since the Tesla coil was removed in 2005 that room is finally worthwhile again with those flying skeleton ghosts, they’re just a cool effect🙂
Something I must stress about this video is the disservice to Valhalla. As someone who has been around during all of it's lifetime and been visiting it throughout that period. 1. The water used to set on fire at the arrow section. 2. The boat also used to set on fire after the first major drop (water tunnel drop after the backwards drop) 3. It easily has the best soundtrack ever my god
Personally i like the valhalla refurbishment. The new audio with narration guides you through the ride's story a lot better. It is still far too wet for a place like blackpool. But at least there isn't the freezing cold in the snow room to give you hypothermia like there was before. River caves is a really underrated ride. It has some nice scenes.
My sister and her friends got stuck in the ice room when the ride broke down. They were in there for half an hour. All 3 of them ended up sick a couple of days later.
Blackpool regular here 🎉 The smell of the paint in Alice in Wonderland is one of the most iconic parts of it. I think a lot of theme park going Brits love the janky, tacky things Blackpool has to offer. I love you sharing it with more American theme park people but please do visit yourself before you decide on exactly how you feel. It's iconic and historic .The steeple chase ride is only one of two of its kind left in the world.
Do you know that Blackpool Pleasure Beach Had an Animatronic Show called the Hard Luck Bears which was Created by Creative Engineering the Same Manufacturer who made the Rock Afire Explosion for Showbiz Pizza in the 80s?
Really cool to see a British park get some love on the channel, being a British theme park lover it’s always been a bit lacklustre going to pleasure beach after growing up going to universal studios, valhalla is definitely the best that pleasure beach has to offer, love the vids keep em up
Just to clarify, my problem with uk theme parks is the theming, even the best parks like alton towers don’t come remotely close to anything the US has to offer, would love to see some more heavily themed parks in the future, who knows
Alton Towers does still seam really appealing to me though. It seems more akin to Busch Gardens or SeaWorld in terms of theming though which is something that I can appreciate. I've heard a lot of negative things about park operations recently though.
i always love seeing you cover parks outside of the us/ones that aren't as well known as disney/universal- it's really interesting to see what's out there
i love that youve covered this park. it was an integral part of my childhood. it would be cool if you could cover other UK theme parks like Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, in your future videos. Thank you!
River Caves is such a cool ride, and I love the score throughout. On a quiet day, it's a nice one to ride a few times in a row as a way to relax instead of just sitting on a bench. One of my favourite dark rides in the UK even though technically it's nothing special
Fact check: Actually there’s 4 wooden coasters at BPB, as you missed Blue Flyer. Until recently there was also a wooden Wild Mouse, arguably the best of its type in the world.
I'm a Blackpool local, i grew up going here and know many people who used to work at the pleasure beach or still work there. The river caves is one of the longest still operating water dark rides in existence which is really neat. there used to be other dark rides like Magic mountain and Trauma towers. Magic mountain was demolished when nickelodeon land was developed. Trauma towers was a thrill ride in a dark ride setting. There's videos online of both attractions if your curious. The pleasure beach has a mismatched collection of old and unique rides but it makes them special as some rides in the park are one of a kind especially steeple chase as three of those rides were ever made, one was closed down. one still exists in i think in California but is now a boat ride vehicle design but still operates while steeple chase is still the only one to keep the original designs of the horses and the flying machines is only one left existing in the world, there were a few made more but all of them closed many years ago while the flying machines is the only operating one still in existence. their dark rides aren't the best but they all have charm and a long history each which makes them special in their own right.
I throughly enjoy your critiques and deep dives involving the states Disney and Universal, but I think some of your best videos are ones like these, where you focus on lesser known attractions. It’s interesting learning about these types of obscure attractions and what they bring (Many of which I hope to visit one day)
I do enjoy exploring other topics. I feel like I'm often getting stale in my Disney and Universal stuff, so the plan at least at this point in time, is to talk about other parks and attractions for this month.
This is awesome, id never know it was there without this channel, and im actually working just a few hours (by train) from it, very excited to get over there. And Efteling....and Europa...someday, youve got me overwhelmed.
I went to pleasure beach in early 2020 - mostly to ride valhalla but I didn't know it was closed for refurbishment that day. What a park, the river caves was probably my favorite attraction. there is something in the air in blackpool.
This is my childhood theme park! I’m not even from that part of the UK, it’s just the best one so we would always be willing to do the drive to get there. I’m going tomorrow actually. It’s so cool to see you cover it. The old coasters definitely have a very unique feel to them. Big Dipper is especially clunky but that’s exactly what i love about it!
Great video! I visited Blackpool Pleasure Beach for the first time last month and was really impressed by the quirky line-up of Dark Rides. Valhalla especially really made the whole trip worth it (even if at times it felt a little bit like getting waterboarded)
@@PoseidonEntertainment I think it depends on how much of a completist you want to be! I did the highlights in one day (on a Saturday in summer) but still didn't get to do all the coasters and some of the unique flats
Yeah I love that you make videos outside from Disney and Universal and even more is the way that you have episodes like this that highlight theme parks found in other country's and not just US parks. I myself have sought out just about every haunted houses/ghost trains that I can find and it's extremely rare to find ones that I haven't seen. I've never been to Europe unless you consider Iceland to be a European country, but I'm dying to experience the numerous rides to be found there (Efteling especially!) I'm always interested in hearing from people from other countries to find out views on what opinions they have in domestic theme parks and after reading some comments here it's great to see the same way of interest is shared in the other way around too! Hope that I described that in a way that people can understand what I'm getting at. Anyways I sincerely hope that people continue to come over and enjoy the various American amusement parks and I'm crossing my fingers in the hopes that I get a chance to enjoy Amusement parks around the world. Not to put down the country that I'm from (USA), but I'm irritated with the mindset of SOME (not all) who carry around the opinion that the US is the end all be all in every way and that we're the pinnacle and is superior to everything just because it's here! Sorry for the ramblings friends but a lot of people need to remember that theirs plenty of things outside of this country that are just as neat as what we have going on here, you digg? (Also Currys haunted house in Ireland looks like the
Admittedly, a lot of European theme parks are looking a lot more attractive to me than Disney and Universal. I still like those parks, but I'm also sick of everything needing to be based on a movie. I do also very much appreciate stuff like the dark rides of Blackpool or of New Jersey and New York boardwalks.
@@PoseidonEntertainment I 100% hear you on that brother, I don't understand why Disney hasn't realized that the rides people love the best, are the rides that stand on their own without being drenched in IP. Keep up the good work I really like your videos P.S. Have you ever heard about Trimpers Haunted House? I'm pretty sure that you'd love it
@@PoseidonEntertainment can I make a suggestion to you? It would be awesome if you did a video on Bill Tracy rides or the Trimpers Haunted House or Funland's Haunted Mansion in Delaware. I believe that y
Wow I've followed this channel for a long time and never thought Blackpool pleasure beach would have a dedicated video, this is probably the closest park I live too and absolutely the theme of the park as a whole is a mix of vintage/tacky/new and living up to every stereotype of a UK seaside resort park, but all this gives it a unique charm.
I love this departure from your usual content. Dark rides like this are amongst my favorite. Would love to see a compilation of unique dark rides, like the one at FunLand in Rehoboth Beach where the vehicle is suspended.
I eventually do want to branch out into the weirder stuff. I wanted to go to Pigeon Forge and experience the dinosaur and earthquakes rides, but I think that's definitely on the list for next year.
Nice vid. There are 4 woodies at BPB. You missed out The Blue Flyer, also in the Nickelodeon Land. It was originally called Little Dipper, and then went as Zipper Dipper for a while before it’s current incarnation.
I had missed that one until I was pretty much finished with the video, but yeah lol. I've been on something similar at Six Flags Great America and I can appreciate a much less intense but smaller and historic wooden coaster.
I've always loved the simplicity and charm of the Blackpool Dark rides, i know i have a bias, but they're some of my favourite dark rides in the country.
I love stuff like this. I feel like too many new dark rides at Disney and Universal are too complex and focused on "storytelling", when it's often the simpler things that still manage to have a big impact.
@@PoseidonEntertainment as many say "Simplicity is key". Unfortunately many dark rides are either too heavy on narrative, effects are too complex to be reliable, or they have a narrow target audience
There was a wooden framed Wild Mouse there too until relatively recently, went on it once in the 80s and remember feeling in actual danger! Really felt like it would tip you out of the car in places. :O
If I remember correctly, the Tunnel of Love sign at the entrance of River Caves ride was actually put there many years ago for a scene in the british soap Coronation Street and it's been there ever since.
I'm glad you make videos about other parks. Lets me see what I'm missing out on! I've been following for a while but I don't remember - have you done in-depth videos of the major parks (Disney, Universal) in other countries?
I haven't really touched on them in dedicated videos. I think they're something that I want to experience in person (especially in Japan) before producing scripts for them though.
I didn't know that British seagulls could be aggressive like that? Yeah sure, I've had them steal food out of my hand, but never actually been attacked.
I feel like me and you have very similar opinions when it comes to theme parks and their rides. I love a good thrill ride, but dark rides hold a special place in my heart and childhood.
I often see people claim that dark rides don't sell tickets, which is ridiculous. If that were the case, Disney and Universal would not be the mega giants that they are. I enjoy a lot of Six Flags and Cedar Fair coasters, but who's struggling right now?
My Father is from Blackpool, my Grandparents lived there until they passed. When I was a child we used to visit The Pleasure Beach almost annually because of this. I've since moved to NZ and only been back a couple of times. Though there is a great amount of history there, I feel there are a lot of missteps in the park. Disney knows when to temper things back (for the most part, I'm looking at you Space Mountain Paris). Its almost impossible to leave the park without whiplash, you need to be an F1 driver not to. Also, saying that Valhalla gets you drenched is an understatement. You come close to drowning. It is a pretty good ride. I was blown away first time I went on it (recently I've been to Disneyland and Splash Mountain kills it). I highly recommend CROCS when riding it. Both times I went I spent the whole day (COLD DAY) with soaking wet trainers. There is NO fun in that.
Yeah, Valhalla definitely seems like a ride you need to plan your entire day around so as not to be miserable lol. I feel that same way about the water rides at Islands of Adventure and I have to wonder which are actually more malicious.
I just visited Blackpool pleasure beach for the first time a couple weeks ago!! The ghost train was one of the first things I went on. Grand National was last because it hurt so badly I didn't wanna go on anything afterwards lmao. It's definitely not Disney's Haunted Mansion but it's really neat considering how old it is.
The ghost train on the Santa Cruz boardwalk scared the hell out of me as a kid. Wonder if the current iteration would do the same now that I've watched wayyyyyy more horror movies over the... decades since I was last there.
I wasn't aware of its existence but I just looked it up and it seems pretty interesting. I keep going to LA, but I eventually want to do a larger California trip and I'll add it to the list.
@@PoseidonEntertainment My main memories of the area are the ghost train, the shooting gallery (if it's still there), and the gondolas, on top of general warm/hot beach activities. Wouldn't mind going back someday to do any of things that were too intimidating for me when I was younger (mainly the rollercoaster).
hearing you do a deep dive on pleasure beach would actually be kinda cool theres a looooot of history tied to pleasure beach i really love your vids and you doing a park i've been to is very cool. at 5:37 the indoor scene you quickly pass by is actually a mummified monk that used to belong to another pleasure beach ride trauma towers. when that ride closed a lot of its creepier tableaux were moved into the ghost train. a lot of the movie related scenes used to be trauma tower originals too. re the river caves the scene with the stalamites and the stars used to open up to an area which crossed with a restuarunt and the sadly defunct gold mine dark ride. when wallace and gromit took over the gold mine the resturaunt was removed and the river caves was altered to the way it appears in this video it was really nice seeing the old version of valhalla in this video also a moment of silence for the long gone dark rides noahs ark, the gold mine, magic mountain and the greatest show in the world
I don't know anything about the history of the park, but those all sound really interesting and might make for a future video. The restaurant sitting above River Caves sounds really cool as well.
it was a cool resturaunt you could have your meal and while you are eating it above you the gold mine trains passed by you and below you could see the stalagmite scene of the river caves and the boats passing by. i really love kinetic park things like that and its kinda sad its gone now@@PoseidonEntertainment
this was somewhat nostalgiac for me, as I live in UK ad me and my BFF used to go to Blackpool every summer, ofc with a day at Pleasure Beach. I LOVED Valhalla, one of my favourite memories is when at the end of the day, it broke down midway through and at some point the water in the boat began to rise and her dad started to sing My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, I laughed SO hard! (We were planning to come back the next day and bc it broke down, we got free Fast Trak) it makes me sad knowing they remodelled (haven't been in forever), the backwards dip was ICONIC. If you do ever get to go (I hope you do!), we also LOVED The Big One (it was still Pepsi Max then, orz now you know how old I am!). Like, for real, we would queue for ages, ride which lasted a couple mins, then immediately queue again! There's also one called Revolution (still exists). You queue up a set of stairs (it was like never busy when we went) and it starts at the top of a dip, goes down, does a loop, goes up another hill then stops and goes backwards. Short but SO fun!
@@PoseidonEntertainment yes, there is lots there. I mean, I think Brits don't quite do amusement parks like Americans but this is my favourite here. I haven't been to EVERY park in UK but I've been to a lot and I love Pleasure Beach! Blackpool as a whole is SUCH a tourist town and not representative of UK so do not come thinking that. I'm sure you'll love Pleasure Beach if you make it though, we really really loved it. Man, I want to go back now! I don't know if I could forgive them for changing Valhalla though!
I want to thank you for showcasing an English Park. Blackpool is about an hour away from my home and so it's a piece of home for me! Also the Alice ride was gifted from Walt, and it scared me as a child, I'm not the biggest fan of Alice in wonderland
Blackpool Pleasure beach is probably the best amusement park in the world. But I am biased, used to live an hour away from Blackpool. It's also not just the Pleasure Beach..there is a whole lot more to Blackpool. A few facts might interest you on the dark rides...The old Goldmine (powered roller coaster) and River Caves used to intersect each other in a cafe at the blue cave portion of the River Caves ride. Another fact is that Walt Disney used to visit Pleasure Beach often and became good friends with the owner..This led to sharing or copying of ideas such as Walt using River Caves as inspiration for Pirates of the Caribbean. Alice in Wonderland took ideas from Walt too. (You are correct). Also, Alice in Wonderland has music from Willi Wonka...I got a golden ticket!
Doesn't Blackpool have a number of attractions outside of the park? I believe I read something about a Ripley's Museum and a bunch of other similar enterprises.
I have Blackpool on my list for late next year. I see so many great things online. I always regretted not going last time I was in Blackpool for a convention
As a Brit, one of the few things i can say that we as a country do well is making interesting dark rides. Especially the John Wardley designed ones it must be said.
We used to.... we lost Bubbleworks, and The Haunted House. All we have now is a handful of dark rides with generic themes or shoot em ups (Tomb Blaster, Grufflo River Ride, Alton Manor, etc) At least we still got the London Experience in Madame Tussauds, which looks great, and I think that was designed by John Wardley as well.
@@louiswright8282 well, yeah don't get me started on the silly "Shoot em ups". I can do that at home for free! Tomb Blaster used to be Terror Tomb, a Wardley classic! That was such a good ride. Before that it was "The Fifth Dimension" which was a little before my time.
@@bretton_woods the only good shoot em up we have is Sheriffs Showdown. I don't think Terror Tomb was designed by John Wardley though, that was Done by Farmer Studios, who did all the theming for StormForce 10. John Did help with The Fifth Dimension though in 1988, which he did improve quite a bit in places, so kudos to him for that! Don't get me started on The Haunted House though... we went from a dark Ride with a unique theme of ghost scaring you, then subverting your expectations to being quite humorous in places with these cool and unique looking ghosts and creatures, to a zombie shoot em up with stuffed in the Haunted House, to the Haunted Hous being gutted entirely pretty much in favour of a generic exorcist ripoff theme about a girl killing her parents with dolls, what a cool and unique theme (not). It's not even that fun, sure it's well made, but why Ride something where's there's no fun in it that only horror fans mostly enjoy, I've seen tons kids coming off crying and lots of people not residing it, it's one of those 'done it once, not bothered after' rides. John Warldey was involved with Alton Manor as well. What happened??? Are dark rides not allowed to be fun and charming in the UK anymore? Thank goodness Blackpool is actually preserving their classic Dark Rides, unlike most Merlin Parks.
Being that I live not to far away from Blackpool and grew up with the Pleasure Beach as part of my childhood it's very interesting to see an American perspective on certain aspects of the place. As quite a lot of the American mindset of a theme park is can be lost in translation we don't quite understand or any real suspension of disbelief when it comes to things like Star Wars/Mickey Mouse or any of the Universal IP. Mostly they are seen as childish, and there is a need to see behind the curtain.
@@PoseidonEntertainment What I meant is that having an outsides (non British) view of Blackpool Pleasure Beach is very rare and refreshing, as the Pleasure Beach in the beginning wasn't really know for having IP named rides. In same way Disney or Universal does (Galaxy's Edge/ Simpson Land), there's Nickelodeon land in Pleasure Beach now but just really a new paint job for some of the existing rides, or other changes to existing themes. No walk around characters or photo ops. They have been tryed in the past but the general public seem it stuck with idea of the Pleasure Beach being old and Victorian.
There is actually four wooden coasters, a kiddies wooden coaster in Nickland called blue flyer originally the little dipper, open tall, early 2018, even had five wooden rollercoaster with the wild mouse, sadly that met its demise😞
The focus on lesser known parks is always fun - I don't think I ever would have found out about Blackpool otherwise! One of my favorite amusement parks is Knoebels, and I don't see much content on it out there :3
I think it would make for an interesting video, but it's a place I would want to actually visit before doing one. I just need to find the time to actually go.
parts that stood out to me as great, the backwards drop, the cold air, and the fire, then they removed the backwards drop and the cold air lol, story of my life
Valhalla was the best. I got to ride as a child early 2000s and can say one of the best rides then however when i experienced this (multiple/many times) both waterfalls did not stop before the boat passed under getting absolutly drenched both times and the boat had a pool of water guaranteed to have your shoes soaked from the second you board (lol good times). Also when the boat looked out of the cave it litterally hung off the edge and some steam and splash effects could be seen from this happening whilst you were waiting in line to board the ride also the netting was not in place. The fans in the ice cave were no joke but completed the ride fully not got to ride the new version yet but sad to hear that some key elements like backwards drop have been removed.
Honestly the Wallace and grommet ride is my favourite out of the bunch (except Valhalla but that’s unfair to include tbh), it’s just a charming ride full of nods to the shorts/ films that never fails to make me smile, always a must ride whenever I go
Some trivia about the Alice ride. Walt Disney had actually visited Blackpool while touring European parks to plan Disneyland. Years later when Disneyland was a hit he told blackpool they could copy any Disney ride they wanted as a thank you. They picked Alice.
Yep its the only ride outside of America that has permision to use Alice in wonderland and the characters that look the same as the disney version (or Blackpool pleasure beachs attempt at the film charaters)...OBV there are other cheap knock offs around the world of disney rides like the Haunted mansion ect BUT they are done JUST on the fring so as NOT to get a copyright off of Disney!
This, it bugged me when he kept mentioning that it was a copy of the Disney ride, without mentioning that they where allowed to do that lol
Not to be that guy but ... do you have a source on this? I hear it spread around a lot but it doesn't make sense to me. it's true that Blackpool's Alice opened a few years after Disney's, so the idea that the concept was inspired by what was a very popular ride makes sense, but I don't see why they'd need Walt's permission. The story is in the public domain. The designs are very clearly taken from the book illustrations and not the Disney film. The ride literally plays music from the 1971 Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and has been for decades at this point, presumably without permission. They wouldn't need a blessing from anyone to do this.
I don't know if you've been to Blackpool, but it's rooted in old funfairs and things like funhouses, big spectacles, that fundamentally are built on stealing or barely scraping by other attractions or characters, which was especially true when Alice opened.
I always laugh at the fact Alice has "I've got a golden ticket" playing as music, and has done as long as I can remember having visited all my life! I've lived here now for 10 years and recently went again, smells exactly the same haha
It's really nice to see what the "low budget" stuff can do. Sometimes we get so caught up in spectacle we lose appreciation for local artistry.
I do think a lot of simpler rides end up leaving a bigger impact. Too many newer Disney and Universal rides feel a little too polished and end up losing any character they may have had conceptually.
@PoseidonEntertainment oh absolutely. Local parks deserve so much love and they have so many hidden gems that get forgotten or ignored because Disney
As an American, I really appreciate you making videos highlighting parks outside of the typical U.S. ones. While I of course love the Disney and Universal videos, your analysis of parks like this one are what sets your channel apart.
I don't know if this is going to stay this way, but the plan this month is to focus on parks other than Disney and Universal
Same here I love seeing these unique rides
@@PoseidonEntertainment As i said before. You indeed do need to work a bit harder just to shaking of your stereotype.
But as you can see, looks like it going to the right direction. And i'm glad too
UK based park goer here, glad to finally see you give some attention to Blackpool pleasure beach. Im an hours drive from the park and went alot as a child so i may be biased, but its my favorite park in the UK. Even though the park has had several reinvention, and visually is different from the park I visited in the 90s, theres still plenty of classic rides, making the nostalgia levels of the park incredible
I understand why it has to change often, but I'm also fascinated by how much it manages to pack into such a small space. I didn't realize how historically significant so many of the rides were until writing this script though.
… it’s that time of year kids , an hours drive and Blackpool illuminations !
Walt visited Blackpool Pleasure Beach a lot while researching for Disneyland. He gave them permission to use the Disneyfied Alice as thanks.
Now that you mention it, the story sounds familiar. Maybe I should have leaned a bit more into the history of these rides.
The River Caves ride used to have a section (now illuminated purple with the starry ceiling) where it was overlooked by a cafe/bar and also the Gold Mine ride (now Wallace and Gromit) passed overhead on a bridge type section of track. Was a very interesting feature indeed, quite relaxing too as you sat with a drink watching the passengers of both rides pass by. The park, in my opinion has a unique and atmospheric feel during a visit in the Autumn months during the annual 'Blackpool Illuminations'.
This is so crazy - I'm from Blackpool ( I grew up 20 mins from this park ! ) and lived there for almost 20 years ! The Pleasure Beach and the town as a whole has a really interesting history. All the footage made me feel back home. Loved the video !
I'm definitely interested in learning more about Blackpool in general. Seems like there's a fair number of attractions there outside of the park too.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Oh you should! There's a bunch of stuff with a long history - In my opinion the most interesting is Blackpool tower - a replica Eiffel Tower with a circus inside with a ring that fills with water and used to have seel shows. If you'd ever like some recommendations for a local please reach out !
@@PoseidonEntertainmentthere is , such as the tower which houses multiple attractions including the world famous Ballroom with sprung floor and the circus. Then there is sea life and Madame Tussauds, 3 piers , winter gardens , The Grand Theatre, Zoo , miniature village ( the latter two being further into Blackpool. Plus many other side attractions and stalls arcades , the Comedy Carpet is worth a look , The Heritage Trams , and more .
As a brit this is gonna be very interesting
As not a Brit, this will also be interesting.
As a Blackpool pleasure beach enthusiast, this will be interesting a lot.
I aggre❤❤
Oi, it’s chewsday, innit?
I might be biased because its my home park and my friend literally works there but we are honestly a one of a kind park. It's like no other place ive visited with such a rich history. Thank you so much for bringing more attention to our struggling towns amusement park!! I'd also like to note, most rides run well and often. but sometimes not. everything is expensive and the coasters hurt but theyre so rich in history its almost forgiveable. and Icon is a very good thrill ride. impressive for what we are. I hope you visit soon and enjoy it!!
I literally don't think that any coaster can hurt more than anything I've experienced at Mount Olympus in the Wisconsin Dells, so I'm absolutely ready
Get ready for the infamous Grand National (1935). Its so rough that it recently broke someone's neck (admittedly he did have undiagnosed medical history)@@PoseidonEntertainment
Gotta agree, grand national gave my friend whiplash. It beats the crap out of you. @@PoseidonEntertainment
Man, I'd be truly thrilled if you started covering old dark rides at various parks more often. There is just such a special vibe to those old rides, no matter how run-down or cheesy they can be. Much like you, I find them really fascinating and am enamored by the charm of those rides, and I'd love to see more of them documented like you have done here. I mean, there are only a handful of original Pretzel dark rides that are still operating (if I'm remembering correctly), so making a series focused on documenting those rides, along with other rides from by-gone eras like that, would be super helpful in preserving them in a sort of time capsule for generations after we (and the rides) are long gone. You're doing a great act of service by preserving the history and documenting those rides at amusement parks all over the world.
As I see it, a lot of those old rides are actually historically significant places and should be recognized as such, and maybe at some point they _will_ be recognized. Either way, I feel their history is culturally significant to this whole country (and even for a lot of the world) and deserves to be documented and preserved. I feel like you are one of the very best CZcamsrs when it comes to getting into the nitty gritty of stuff like this, so seeing you help document more of those rides would be awesome. You would leave no stone unturned, and if I were to trust anyone to give an in-depth and accurate historical account of these rides, it'd be you. Really loved this video!
I know there's a ton of rides like these still around in the U.S., but I want to invest in a low-light camera before I think about doing videos and trips for them.
@@PoseidonEntertainment I hear ya, brother. Considering how thorough you are, it definitely makes sense that you’d like a gear upgrade before fully diving in and giving them the Proper Poseidon Preservation Protocol (you have my permission to use that one if you’d like lol). Just know you would have a ton of support if you ever do decide to cover more old dark rides. It’d be a shame to see some of them whither away and be lost to history.
The UK has actually had some pretty good dark rides in the past, such as Terror Tomb, Bubbleworks, Fifth Dimension and Haunted House. Unfortunately, you'd never get large scale dark rides like them in UK parks today, which is sad. Immersive dark rides are really what 'theme' parks are supposed to be about in my opinion.
Seems like a video on Blackpool's former dark rides would be interesting.
I'm 59 years of age and 53 years ago when I was 6, my Auntie (bless her soul) took me on 'Alice in Wonderland' it was my first ever ride and I loved it and always ride it whenever I go back up North to Blackpool....Such a happy memory, thank you for this video!
Another wonderful video. Valhalla is one of the those white whale rides that I've always heard about that just know I'll probably never see. It's always cool to hear people talk about it and what is has lost since its opening. I remember when it was opening it was marketed as the ride that couldn't be built in disney or something similar. Obviously it was to catch eyes because it's such an unique dark ride, that looks like you get soaked on. Keep up the great work and good luck out there!
It's a cool ride for sure. Theming wise, I don't think it can touch Disney or even something like Knott's Timber Mountain Log Ride, but it still looks really cool.
All of these are iconic. I really love the mysterious atmosphere they all have, especially Alice, ghost train and river caves. River Caves especially is very nostalgic for me. Also the park has 4 woodies, not 3. They’ve got a blue junior woodie called ‘blue flyer’
Ah, yeah I did manage to forget that one until I realized after I was pretty much done with the video.
It's always amazing at just literal some parks take the concept of the 'dark' ride. While we here in the states today equate dark rides with silly songs and comedy bits, others really do seem to want to get as many scares out of you as possible. Another great topic you explored.
I've seen someone say that European parks tend to have horror-themed rides in the same way that American parks have superhero-themed ones, and I see their point.
I'm not sure if I see it the same way. When I think of dark rides, the first thing that comes to mind is either Disneyland Fantasyland rides or east coast boardwalk and traveling fair ghost trains.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Granted, but even Disney has always had to balance a fine point between what is 'too' light and what is 'too' dark when it comes to its signature attractions, ie PotC and HM.
As always a great, well researched and entertaining video. 👍🏻
Your extreme high production standard throughout your videos ist also very noticeable.
Really appreciate the amount of work you invest. 😉
Yessss, love that you’re covering a local park. I’ve been going to Pleasure Beach for years, and have only recently been on a lot of these older rides, and they’re certainly unique experiences. Great video topic, though I may be a bit biased (Talk about Alton Towers next, this is a threat /j)
I'll get to an Alton Towers video eventually. It just seems like there's a lot there, so it's a bit intimidating in terms of writing a script.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Here's a freebie to help get you started: "Toyland Tours, an obvious It's a Small World ripoff".
I would love an Alton to Towers video from you when you get the chance! I find it interesting how Americans view our theme parks, seeing as you have so many huge, intense coasters.
BPB is my favourite park here in the UK, while not the most technologically advanced or new it has a certain charm to it that really give it a great atmosphere, the historical significance of the park is super important and something that the locals find a lot of nostalgia in. Nice to see people outside the UK recognising this park!
Been a fan of your channel for a while now, didn't expect to see Pleasure Beach appear! Growing up, I used to visit Blackpool annually with family. It's incredibly tacky but I love the place! Thanks for covering this!
Some of the figures towards the end of the Ghost Train were relocated from Pleasure Beach's walkthrough horror attraction 'Trauma Towers' when it closed a while ago. If you're interested, it's worth watching a walkthrough.
I do appreciate the "tackiness" of a place like this. I think it's easy to dismiss, but it has a very specific type of atmosphere that I think is worth experiencing.
Wtf, I stumbled upon your channel a few months ago and have been binging your content. I visited Pleasure Beach 4 days ago and finally got the chance to ride Valhalla (been 3 times in the past but it's always been shut) and thought "I wonder what Poseidon Entertainment thinks about this and other dark rides here" never expected you to actually make a video on it given that it's a fairly small park compared to giants like Disney World and Universal. Great content like always man!
I love the smaller stuff, I think I should cover them more often. Admittedly, Blackpool was partially on my radar because I played so much Rollercoaster Tycoon when I was a kid.
So there used to be an amazing, very unique dark ride called "Trauma Towers" which was a walk through experience, through a haunted hotel (from what I remember as a kid, it was pretty scary! With lots of interactive elements) and at the very end, you went into the "dining room" which was a really great themed Tagada ride, which was in the dark and had music/sound effects... and Gargoyles would spit water at you. The walk through portion of the ride definitely was inspired by The Haunted Mansion, and I do believe when the ride closed a few of the props and figures ended up in the ghost train, and I'm pretty sure one of those things was the man playing the church organ (so I don't think he's The Phantom Of The Opera!) he used to be playing the organ in the Ballroom in the hotel, just before you loaded on to the Tagada ride at the end. It was such a unique, and long attraction... I absolutely loved it, and was gutted when it closed (a bit like the Noah's Ark ride!) I have no idea why they did. The building stood there for years as well. I remember as a kid I used to ask staff why it was closed, and if it was coming back and I used to get "fob off" answers such as "we had to close it because water from the fountain shows outside was getting on the floor of the queue and making it slippy" 😑 To that, I said then get rid of the fountains!! Who chooses a fountain display over such a unique one of a kind dark ride. Crazy! I'd love to know what really happened.
It sounds interesting for sure. I'll have to look into the former dark rides of the park because they seem interesting, plus everyone keeps mentioning how much they miss them lol.
Please do a deepdive into the oldies! They were my childhood! Just the mention of Noah's Ark and Trauma Towers brings the nostalgia on hard! And there was also The Greatest Show on Earth ride, Gold Mine, Space Invaders, Magic Mountain.....
It's wicked to see you talk about UK parks. Blackpool has always been too far away for me to get to easily. My local park growing up was Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea. Beezle Bob's and The Crooked House are honourable mentions
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is a one of the best classic amusement parks in the world. It’s collection of classic dark rides can hardly be matched. Combine that with it’s coasters, and it’s real Steeplechase ride, you have an all around winner!
Yeah, in retrospect I should have given it a mention, but Steeplechase rides fascinate me. I remember them from Rollercoaster Tycoon and I wish I could go back in time and experience the parks on Coney Island.
Atleast the new version of Valhalla effects works. Nice to see the ring of fire on the final drop properly work with the fire in the water. Great video.
Although it is clear even from a quick popularity sort on your upload page that Disney and Universal videos perform much better, I strongly encourage you to keep making videos on these smaller parks and lesser-known rides. Like it or not, many viewers see your channel as the guy with "cynical Disney video essays", however, it's not too late to diversify your content to continue to expand your audience. These awesome overview videos of some classic dark rides from across the world do just the trick and I'm sure your true core audience will appreciate any video that you release.
I plan to continue doing videos like these because I think that variety is really important and honestly, I'm really tired of speaking about Disney in a negative way. I'll make those videos when I'm interested in them or when I think they're important, but it's stuff like this that often interests me more.
Blackpool pleasure beach is part of my treasured childhood memories. I still remember the first time I was allowed to ride Alice unaccompanied by my mother who waved to me as I rode up the hill in my Cheshire Cat. On a revisit years later, a ride operator told me he has so many adults riding this today as trip down memory lane. The ghost train riding with my grandparents, happy days😊
ayyyy, blackpool!
(the amount of childhood memories I have at Pleasure beach, no matter how bad the park gets, you'll never find me hating on it)
would love to see another blackpool video someday, there's so much chaos to unpack
Incredible video Blackpool Pleasure Beach looks fun and reminds me of a classic seaside amusement park and those dark rides look actually pretty good. For me dark rides are my favourite element of any theme parks.
My first exposure was the park in Rollercoaster Tycoon but it seems way cooler than I anticipated.
On the subject of Valhalla, if you want to get the majority of the effects working, or even have a chance of the majority of the vets working, do it as close to opening on the day as possible, as that will give you a much better chance we’re special effects working🙂
It certainly seemed to work for me when I was there a month ago, I actually think there are some changes in the reimagined version actually better than what came before, but I don’t want to spoil anything for you.
Out of curiosity what changes do you like? I personally like the narration and the skulls on the first lift hill even though you can hardly hear the audio. And the music is pretty good too. People complained that it sounded too Hot Ice-y and yeah some parts do sound quite a bit like Hot Ice not gonna lie. But seeing how the original theme music was composed for Hot Ice and not specifically for the ride it's less of a con and more of just a matter of opinion. I think both bits of music are great at the end of the day
@@masterknife8423 well for instance, the flying skeleton ghosts are a huge improvement on what was in that room before the refurbishment, before that refurbishment that room was crap in my opinion, a bunch of static skeletons with little strobe lights on them and wind blowing on them and mist.
Relocated animatronic crows and the laser, Whoopie🤷♂️😐
For the first time since the Tesla coil was removed in 2005 that room is finally worthwhile again with those flying skeleton ghosts, they’re just a cool effect🙂
Something I must stress about this video is the disservice to Valhalla. As someone who has been around during all of it's lifetime and been visiting it throughout that period.
1. The water used to set on fire at the arrow section.
2. The boat also used to set on fire after the first major drop (water tunnel drop after the backwards drop)
3. It easily has the best soundtrack ever my god
Personally i like the valhalla refurbishment. The new audio with narration guides you through the ride's story a lot better. It is still far too wet for a place like blackpool. But at least there isn't the freezing cold in the snow room to give you hypothermia like there was before.
River caves is a really underrated ride. It has some nice scenes.
I have to imagine that the cold was a shock to riders lol. It's still a neat idea though.
My sister and her friends got stuck in the ice room when the ride broke down. They were in there for half an hour. All 3 of them ended up sick a couple of days later.
Blackpool regular here 🎉 The smell of the paint in Alice in Wonderland is one of the most iconic parts of it. I think a lot of theme park going Brits love the janky, tacky things Blackpool has to offer. I love you sharing it with more American theme park people but please do visit yourself before you decide on exactly how you feel. It's iconic and historic .The steeple chase ride is only one of two of its kind left in the world.
Do you know that Blackpool Pleasure Beach Had an Animatronic Show called the Hard Luck Bears which was Created by Creative Engineering the Same Manufacturer who made the Rock Afire Explosion for Showbiz Pizza in the 80s?
I did not, but I was thinking about doing a video on terrifying theme park animatronic shows. I'll add it to the list if I end up producing the video.
@@PoseidonEntertainment It's a really cool show that was rediscovered recently, wouldn't class it as a terrifying show cause it isn't lol
@@gorillax4046 I just quickly searched for video of it and I disagree lol. Animatronic animal bands are always a bit unsettling to me.
@@PoseidonEntertainment fair enough lol
Thank you for taking a trip all the way over to Blackpool. This is one of my closest theme parks and I have many memories of the place as a child.
Really cool to see a British park get some love on the channel, being a British theme park lover it’s always been a bit lacklustre going to pleasure beach after growing up going to universal studios, valhalla is definitely the best that pleasure beach has to offer, love the vids keep em up
Just to clarify, my problem with uk theme parks is the theming, even the best parks like alton towers don’t come remotely close to anything the US has to offer, would love to see some more heavily themed parks in the future, who knows
Alton Towers does still seam really appealing to me though. It seems more akin to Busch Gardens or SeaWorld in terms of theming though which is something that I can appreciate. I've heard a lot of negative things about park operations recently though.
i always love seeing you cover parks outside of the us/ones that aren't as well known as disney/universal- it's really interesting to see what's out there
i love that youve covered this park. it was an integral part of my childhood. it would be cool if you could cover other UK theme parks like Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, in your future videos. Thank you!
River Caves is such a cool ride, and I love the score throughout. On a quiet day, it's a nice one to ride a few times in a row as a way to relax instead of just sitting on a bench. One of my favourite dark rides in the UK even though technically it's nothing special
Fact check: Actually there’s 4 wooden coasters at BPB, as you missed Blue Flyer. Until recently there was also a wooden Wild Mouse, arguably the best of its type in the world.
Great video, thank you for covering the park! One little thing - The Alice Ride was gifted to the Thompson family by Walt himself and isn't a ripoff
Wow, these were awesome and I appreciate seeing different stuff like this. I love your coverage!
I'm a Blackpool local, i grew up going here and know many people who used to work at the pleasure beach or still work there. The river caves is one of the longest still operating water dark rides in existence which is really neat. there used to be other dark rides like Magic mountain and Trauma towers. Magic mountain was demolished when nickelodeon land was developed. Trauma towers was a thrill ride in a dark ride setting. There's videos online of both attractions if your curious.
The pleasure beach has a mismatched collection of old and unique rides but it makes them special as some rides in the park are one of a kind especially steeple chase as three of those rides were ever made, one was closed down. one still exists in i think in California but is now a boat ride vehicle design but still operates while steeple chase is still the only one to keep the original designs of the horses and the flying machines is only one left existing in the world, there were a few made more but all of them closed many years ago while the flying machines is the only operating one still in existence. their dark rides aren't the best but they all have charm and a long history each which makes them special in their own right.
I throughly enjoy your critiques and deep dives involving the states Disney and Universal, but I think some of your best videos are ones like these, where you focus on lesser known attractions. It’s interesting learning about these types of obscure attractions and what they bring (Many of which I hope to visit one day)
I do enjoy exploring other topics. I feel like I'm often getting stale in my Disney and Universal stuff, so the plan at least at this point in time, is to talk about other parks and attractions for this month.
This is awesome, id never know it was there without this channel, and im actually working just a few hours (by train) from it, very excited to get over there. And Efteling....and Europa...someday, youve got me overwhelmed.
Ah, well it seems like it's easier for you to visit these places than for me.
I went to pleasure beach in early 2020 - mostly to ride valhalla but I didn't know it was closed for refurbishment that day. What a park, the river caves was probably my favorite attraction. there is something in the air in blackpool.
This is my childhood theme park! I’m not even from that part of the UK, it’s just the best one so we would always be willing to do the drive to get there. I’m going tomorrow actually. It’s so cool to see you cover it. The old coasters definitely have a very unique feel to them. Big Dipper is especially clunky but that’s exactly what i love about it!
Great video! I visited Blackpool Pleasure Beach for the first time last month and was really impressed by the quirky line-up of Dark Rides. Valhalla especially really made the whole trip worth it (even if at times it felt a little bit like getting waterboarded)
I assume it's probably a one day experience? It seems like there's a lot packed in there but I would guess it's pretty easy to get everything done?
@@PoseidonEntertainment I think it depends on how much of a completist you want to be! I did the highlights in one day (on a Saturday in summer) but still didn't get to do all the coasters and some of the unique flats
@@MikeFromTheParty Ahh, good to know, thanks lol
I like these obscure park dark ride compilations!
Yeah I love that you make videos outside from Disney and Universal and even more is the way that you have episodes like this that highlight theme parks found in other country's and not just US parks.
I myself have sought out just about every haunted houses/ghost trains that I can find and it's extremely rare to find ones that I haven't seen. I've never been to Europe unless you consider Iceland to be a European country, but I'm dying to experience the numerous rides to be found there (Efteling especially!)
I'm always interested in hearing from people from other countries to find out views on what opinions they have in domestic theme parks and after reading some comments here it's great to see the same way of interest is shared in the other way around too!
Hope that I described that in a way that people can understand what I'm getting at.
Anyways I sincerely hope that people continue to come over and enjoy the various American amusement parks and I'm crossing my fingers in the hopes that I get a chance to enjoy Amusement parks around the world. Not to put down the country that I'm from (USA), but I'm irritated with the mindset of SOME (not all) who carry around the opinion that the US is the end all be all in every way and that we're the pinnacle and is superior to everything just because it's here! Sorry for the ramblings friends but a lot of people need to remember that theirs plenty of things outside of this country that are just as neat as what we have going on here, you digg?
(Also Currys haunted house in Ireland looks like the
Admittedly, a lot of European theme parks are looking a lot more attractive to me than Disney and Universal. I still like those parks, but I'm also sick of everything needing to be based on a movie. I do also very much appreciate stuff like the dark rides of Blackpool or of New Jersey and New York boardwalks.
@@PoseidonEntertainment I 100% hear you on that brother, I don't understand why Disney hasn't realized that the rides people love the best, are the rides that stand on their own without being drenched in IP. Keep up the good work I really like your videos
P.S. Have you ever heard about Trimpers Haunted House? I'm pretty sure that you'd love it
@@PoseidonEntertainment can I make a suggestion to you?
It would be awesome if you did a video on Bill Tracy rides or the Trimpers Haunted House or Funland's Haunted Mansion in Delaware. I believe that y
That you'd really digg it
Tacky is the absolute right word for Blackpool, hahaha, thats why I love it
Wow I've followed this channel for a long time and never thought Blackpool pleasure beach would have a dedicated video, this is probably the closest park I live too and absolutely the theme of the park as a whole is a mix of vintage/tacky/new and living up to every stereotype of a UK seaside resort park, but all this gives it a unique charm.
Yeah it's awesome, I definitely want to visit
As a British kid, we used to go here on school trips!! Such good fun and a great video 😊
Great video you’re my favorite theme park channel on the internet, keep up the good work!
I love this departure from your usual content. Dark rides like this are amongst my favorite. Would love to see a compilation of unique dark rides, like the one at FunLand in Rehoboth Beach where the vehicle is suspended.
I eventually do want to branch out into the weirder stuff. I wanted to go to Pigeon Forge and experience the dinosaur and earthquakes rides, but I think that's definitely on the list for next year.
Nice Vid. Dark Rides were always my favorite at the fair midway.
Dark rides no matter how weird, will always be a comfort for me
I agree, I love the traveling fairground stuff too.
"Alice playing croquet" - glad you clarified what I thought I saw.
Nice vid. There are 4 woodies at BPB. You missed out The Blue Flyer, also in the Nickelodeon Land. It was originally called Little Dipper, and then went as Zipper Dipper for a while before it’s current incarnation.
I had missed that one until I was pretty much finished with the video, but yeah lol. I've been on something similar at Six Flags Great America and I can appreciate a much less intense but smaller and historic wooden coaster.
I've always loved the simplicity and charm of the Blackpool Dark rides, i know i have a bias, but they're some of my favourite dark rides in the country.
I love stuff like this. I feel like too many new dark rides at Disney and Universal are too complex and focused on "storytelling", when it's often the simpler things that still manage to have a big impact.
@@PoseidonEntertainment as many say "Simplicity is key". Unfortunately many dark rides are either too heavy on narrative, effects are too complex to be reliable, or they have a narrow target audience
The statement “A skeleton sexily draped…” reminded me to like this video 😂
It might be one of my favorite lines I've ever written.
There was a wooden framed Wild Mouse there too until relatively recently, went on it once in the 80s and remember feeling in actual danger! Really felt like it would tip you out of the car in places. :O
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is definitely on my list of places to visit
I really take that that one haunted train ride goes outside so much. I can imagine that in the morning time, it just ruins the dark and scary vibe.
I love vids that aren’t about Disney or universal:) *excited*
Love me some Blackpool. The massive purge of classic attractions for the Nickelodeon land was very sad. I wanted to go on Magic Mountain. 😢
If I remember correctly, the Tunnel of Love sign at the entrance of River Caves ride was actually put there many years ago for a scene in the british soap Coronation Street and it's been there ever since.
I'm glad you make videos about other parks. Lets me see what I'm missing out on!
I've been following for a while but I don't remember - have you done in-depth videos of the major parks (Disney, Universal) in other countries?
I haven't really touched on them in dedicated videos. I think they're something that I want to experience in person (especially in Japan) before producing scripts for them though.
I was in Blackpool a few weeks ago my mum got attacked by a seagull she was bleeding profusely from the head.
That’s crazy. Is your Mum ok? Did you have to go to the hospital? Man these British seagulls are way more aggressive than in America.
RIP
@@popfan5412 yeah she’s ok. I patched her up and then she was fine. She had a headache for the rest of the day though
I didn't know that British seagulls could be aggressive like that? Yeah sure, I've had them steal food out of my hand, but never actually been attacked.
@@samuelthicknesse9704 well that is good to hear. My grandma got hit by a bird one time and got a nasty infection and has to be hospitalised.
I feel like me and you have very similar opinions when it comes to theme parks and their rides. I love a good thrill ride, but dark rides hold a special place in my heart and childhood.
I often see people claim that dark rides don't sell tickets, which is ridiculous. If that were the case, Disney and Universal would not be the mega giants that they are. I enjoy a lot of Six Flags and Cedar Fair coasters, but who's struggling right now?
Blackpool is high on my list. I hope to make it out there someday and check out the wonderful antique attractions. Long live the weird!
Same. I'm planning a trip to the UK in 2 years, so I'm hoping to fit this in.
My Father is from Blackpool, my Grandparents lived there until they passed. When I was a child we used to visit The Pleasure Beach almost annually because of this. I've since moved to NZ and only been back a couple of times. Though there is a great amount of history there, I feel there are a lot of missteps in the park. Disney knows when to temper things back (for the most part, I'm looking at you Space Mountain Paris). Its almost impossible to leave the park without whiplash, you need to be an F1 driver not to. Also, saying that Valhalla gets you drenched is an understatement. You come close to drowning. It is a pretty good ride. I was blown away first time I went on it (recently I've been to Disneyland and Splash Mountain kills it). I highly recommend CROCS when riding it. Both times I went I spent the whole day (COLD DAY) with soaking wet trainers. There is NO fun in that.
Yeah, Valhalla definitely seems like a ride you need to plan your entire day around so as not to be miserable lol. I feel that same way about the water rides at Islands of Adventure and I have to wonder which are actually more malicious.
I just visited Blackpool pleasure beach for the first time a couple weeks ago!! The ghost train was one of the first things I went on. Grand National was last because it hurt so badly I didn't wanna go on anything afterwards lmao. It's definitely not Disney's Haunted Mansion but it's really neat considering how old it is.
Yeah, it looks really neat.
The ghost train on the Santa Cruz boardwalk scared the hell out of me as a kid. Wonder if the current iteration would do the same now that I've watched wayyyyyy more horror movies over the... decades since I was last there.
I wasn't aware of its existence but I just looked it up and it seems pretty interesting. I keep going to LA, but I eventually want to do a larger California trip and I'll add it to the list.
@@PoseidonEntertainment My main memories of the area are the ghost train, the shooting gallery (if it's still there), and the gondolas, on top of general warm/hot beach activities. Wouldn't mind going back someday to do any of things that were too intimidating for me when I was younger (mainly the rollercoaster).
The Blackpool ghost train was one of my favorite rides as a kid .
I live an hour away from here, and it’s a fun part of my childhood. If you ever need a tour guide get in touch
Another good one, Poseidon Entertainment. I've viewed Alice, Thrill-O-Matic and Ghost Train on CZcams, and genuinely liked them.
hearing you do a deep dive on pleasure beach would actually be kinda cool theres a looooot of history tied to pleasure beach i really love your vids and you doing a park i've been to is very cool. at 5:37 the indoor scene you quickly pass by is actually a mummified monk that used to belong to another pleasure beach ride trauma towers. when that ride closed a lot of its creepier tableaux were moved into the ghost train. a lot of the movie related scenes used to be trauma tower originals too.
re the river caves the scene with the stalamites and the stars used to open up to an area which crossed with a restuarunt and the sadly defunct gold mine dark ride. when wallace and gromit took over the gold mine the resturaunt was removed and the river caves was altered to the way it appears in this video
it was really nice seeing the old version of valhalla in this video
also a moment of silence for the long gone dark rides noahs ark, the gold mine, magic mountain and the greatest show in the world
I don't know anything about the history of the park, but those all sound really interesting and might make for a future video. The restaurant sitting above River Caves sounds really cool as well.
it was a cool resturaunt you could have your meal and while you are eating it above you the gold mine trains passed by you and below you could see the stalagmite scene of the river caves and the boats passing by. i really love kinetic park things like that and its kinda sad its gone now@@PoseidonEntertainment
Awww yes Noah’s ark , always creeped me out as a child but loved it
this was somewhat nostalgiac for me, as I live in UK ad me and my BFF used to go to Blackpool every summer, ofc with a day at Pleasure Beach. I LOVED Valhalla, one of my favourite memories is when at the end of the day, it broke down midway through and at some point the water in the boat began to rise and her dad started to sing My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, I laughed SO hard! (We were planning to come back the next day and bc it broke down, we got free Fast Trak) it makes me sad knowing they remodelled (haven't been in forever), the backwards dip was ICONIC.
If you do ever get to go (I hope you do!), we also LOVED The Big One (it was still Pepsi Max then, orz now you know how old I am!). Like, for real, we would queue for ages, ride which lasted a couple mins, then immediately queue again! There's also one called Revolution (still exists). You queue up a set of stairs (it was like never busy when we went) and it starts at the top of a dip, goes down, does a loop, goes up another hill then stops and goes backwards. Short but SO fun!
It seems like there's so much packed into such a small space but I do really like how interesting the park is. It definitely seems like a fun time
@@PoseidonEntertainment yes, there is lots there. I mean, I think Brits don't quite do amusement parks like Americans but this is my favourite here. I haven't been to EVERY park in UK but I've been to a lot and I love Pleasure Beach! Blackpool as a whole is SUCH a tourist town and not representative of UK so do not come thinking that. I'm sure you'll love Pleasure Beach if you make it though, we really really loved it. Man, I want to go back now! I don't know if I could forgive them for changing Valhalla though!
I want to thank you for showcasing an English Park. Blackpool is about an hour away from my home and so it's a piece of home for me!
Also the Alice ride was gifted from Walt, and it scared me as a child, I'm not the biggest fan of Alice in wonderland
Blackpool Pleasure beach is probably the best amusement park in the world. But I am biased, used to live an hour away from Blackpool. It's also not just the Pleasure Beach..there is a whole lot more to Blackpool. A few facts might interest you on the dark rides...The old Goldmine (powered roller coaster) and River Caves used to intersect each other in a cafe at the blue cave portion of the River Caves ride. Another fact is that Walt Disney used to visit Pleasure Beach often and became good friends with the owner..This led to sharing or copying of ideas such as Walt using River Caves as inspiration for Pirates of the Caribbean. Alice in Wonderland took ideas from Walt too. (You are correct). Also, Alice in Wonderland has music from Willi Wonka...I got a golden ticket!
Doesn't Blackpool have a number of attractions outside of the park? I believe I read something about a Ripley's Museum and a bunch of other similar enterprises.
I have Blackpool on my list for late next year. I see so many great things online. I always regretted not going last time I was in Blackpool for a convention
Fun fact about Blackpool too, most haunted viisted them and the ghost train is haunted. Its so old, big dipper just celebrated its 100th birthday!
Love to see you do more uk stuff, love your takes on the US parks would be interested in what u think of our stuff
I'll be visiting the UK in 2025 and I plan to throw in a few parks on that trip at the very least.
As a Brit, one of the few things i can say that we as a country do well is making interesting dark rides. Especially the John Wardley designed ones it must be said.
We used to.... we lost Bubbleworks, and The Haunted House. All we have now is a handful of dark rides with generic themes or shoot em ups (Tomb Blaster, Grufflo River Ride, Alton Manor, etc) At least we still got the London Experience in Madame Tussauds, which looks great, and I think that was designed by John Wardley as well.
@@louiswright8282 well, yeah don't get me started on the silly "Shoot em ups". I can do that at home for free!
Tomb Blaster used to be Terror Tomb, a Wardley classic! That was such a good ride. Before that it was "The Fifth Dimension" which was a little before my time.
@@bretton_woods the only good shoot em up we have is Sheriffs Showdown. I don't think Terror Tomb was designed by John Wardley though, that was Done by Farmer Studios, who did all the theming for StormForce 10. John Did help with The Fifth Dimension though in 1988, which he did improve quite a bit in places, so kudos to him for that!
Don't get me started on The Haunted House though... we went from a dark Ride with a unique theme of ghost scaring you, then subverting your expectations to being quite humorous in places with these cool and unique looking ghosts and creatures, to a zombie shoot em up with stuffed in the Haunted House, to the Haunted Hous being gutted entirely pretty much in favour of a generic exorcist ripoff theme about a girl killing her parents with dolls, what a cool and unique theme (not). It's not even that fun, sure it's well made, but why Ride something where's there's no fun in it that only horror fans mostly enjoy, I've seen tons kids coming off crying and lots of people not residing it, it's one of those 'done it once, not bothered after' rides. John Warldey was involved with Alton Manor as well. What happened??? Are dark rides not allowed to be fun and charming in the UK anymore?
Thank goodness Blackpool is actually preserving their classic Dark Rides, unlike most Merlin Parks.
Being that I live not to far away from Blackpool and grew up with the Pleasure Beach as part of my childhood it's very interesting to see an American perspective on certain aspects of the place. As quite a lot of the American mindset of a theme park is can be lost in translation we don't quite understand or any real suspension of disbelief when it comes to things like Star Wars/Mickey Mouse or any of the Universal IP. Mostly they are seen as childish, and there is a need to see behind the curtain.
I'm not entirely sure what you're saying from the phrasing of your comment. Do you mind clarifying?
@@PoseidonEntertainment What I meant is that having an outsides (non British) view of Blackpool Pleasure Beach is very rare and refreshing, as the Pleasure Beach in the beginning wasn't really know for having IP named rides. In same way Disney or Universal does (Galaxy's Edge/ Simpson Land), there's Nickelodeon land in Pleasure Beach now but just really a new paint job for some of the existing rides, or other changes to existing themes. No walk around characters or photo ops. They have been tryed in the past but the general public seem it stuck with idea of the Pleasure Beach being old and Victorian.
There is actually four wooden coasters, a kiddies wooden coaster in Nickland called blue flyer originally the little dipper, open tall, early 2018, even had five wooden rollercoaster with the wild mouse, sadly that met its demise😞
I didn't know there was a wooden wild mouse. I love those types of coasters but I've never experienced a wooden one.
When you ride the Alice ride it also plays I’ve got a golden ticket… it’s so bizarre but brilliant
I would adore a video on thorpe park or alton towers. Tons to work with.
The focus on lesser known parks is always fun - I don't think I ever would have found out about Blackpool otherwise! One of my favorite amusement parks is Knoebels, and I don't see much content on it out there :3
I think it would make for an interesting video, but it's a place I would want to actually visit before doing one. I just need to find the time to actually go.
Got an lol out of your comment about Dracula standing awkwardly in the corner.
It's just so weird lol
Valhalla looks (looked) incredible
The park is worth going to for ICON alone, my 2nd favourite UK coaster under Nemesis.
parts that stood out to me as great, the backwards drop, the cold air, and the fire, then they removed the backwards drop and the cold air lol, story of my life
Valhalla was the best. I got to ride as a child early 2000s and can say one of the best rides then however when i experienced this (multiple/many times) both waterfalls did not stop before the boat passed under getting absolutly drenched both times and the boat had a pool of water guaranteed to have your shoes soaked from the second you board (lol good times). Also when the boat looked out of the cave it litterally hung off the edge and some steam and splash effects could be seen from this happening whilst you were waiting in line to board the ride also the netting was not in place. The fans in the ice cave were no joke but completed the ride fully not got to ride the new version yet but sad to hear that some key elements like backwards drop have been removed.
Very interesting!
Also find it hilarious that 'I've got a golden ticket' from Willy Wonka plays on the Alice ride
Honestly the Wallace and grommet ride is my favourite out of the bunch (except Valhalla but that’s unfair to include tbh), it’s just a charming ride full of nods to the shorts/ films that never fails to make me smile, always a must ride whenever I go
I remember the ghosr train used to terrify me as a kid. Seeing the janky werewolf brings back many memories
The Nickolodean one was The Velvet Coaster as it was upholstered in red velvet - with love from a brit x